A group of chattering young girls walked by on the street. The fragrance of the tender and white fermented glutinous rice balls wafted from the small bowls woven from reeds in their hands. Wei Dongling stared straight at them, and the saliva involuntarily dribbled from the corner of her mouth.
Ruan Niang mercilessly mocked her, "Just wait. I'll go buy some for you!"
Wei Dongling watched Ruan Niang's departing back, smiling contentedly. She looked up at the stars in the sky and silently mused.
She wondered if Miss Jin Xuan had come out to stroll today. If she did, would it be Lu Kou accompanying her?
Maybe she was staying at home quietly waiting to get married and didn't go out. After all, she was about to be betrothed to the Cloud Prince. She should be very happy!
While Wei Dongling was daydreaming, someone bumped into her hard from behind.
She turned around and saw a man in a light moon - colored brocade robe in a hurry. The old woman he bumped into lost her balance, staggered, and crashed into Wei Dongling. The whole person was about to collapse to the ground.
Wei Dongling reached out to help, but the middle - aged man got there first. He helped the old woman up, then turned around and limped away, shouting, "Sorry for the offense!"
The man's back was a bit hunched. His hand tightly covered the outer side of his right leg. Looking closely, a red stain was oozing from his fingertips and dripping down. The bright red blood splattered all the way on the ground.
Was this man being chased and killed?
Wei Dongling looked back and saw three men looking like servants, holding daggers in their hands, hurriedly chasing in this direction.
The middle - aged man in front stumbled through the crowd. The pursuers were only about ten steps behind him and were about to catch up.
Wei Dongling gritted her teeth. She silently picked up the walking stick in her hand and threw it at the feet of the man in the front. The three of them tripped one after another.
The men on the ground looked up angrily and saw a purple figure flash by. In a blink of an eye, it disappeared into the crowd. The three of them quickly got up and chased after it.
Wei Dongling endured the pain in her foot and rushed forward to support the staggering middle - aged man. Then she dragged him and ran at full speed.
The man looked down in surprise and found that the one supporting him was a young girl. He quickly waved his hand and said, "It's none of your business. Girl, go quickly!"
Wei Dongling didn't have time to answer him.
Then, he noticed that the girl seemed to have a lame leg. But her speed was quite fast. She was almost dragging him along as she ran.
Seeing that he couldn't persuade her, the man had no choice but to run desperately with her.
Wei Dongling stood on the bridge and looked back. The three men in the crowd were moving quickly, constantly pushing aside the passers - by in front of them, causing a chorus of shouts.
The man looked back too and said to her, "Girl, don't mind me. Go quickly!"
Wei Dongling gritted her teeth and pushed the injured man hard into the lake. The man panicked and let out a cry as he fell into the water.
Then, Wei Dongling also jumped in. She held the man's nose and mouth above the water and took him to hide under the stone arch bridge.
Someone on the shore shouted, "Someone has fallen into the water! Hurry and save them!"
People gathered on the bridge and looked around. The lake was dark with a few ripples faintly spreading. There was no sign of anyone!
Since they couldn't see anyone, no one dared to jump into the water in the dark.
The three men looking like servants stared at the lake with a sinister look in their eyes. They scanned the lake back and forth but saw nothing after waiting for a long time.
Seeing that a few more people were chasing up, the three servants had no choice but to flee in a hurry, disappearing into the bustling crowd.
The middle - aged man with a leg injury couldn't swim. His face was deathly pale. He leaned half on Wei Dongling, with only his head above the water. He spat out a few mouthfuls of lake water and whispered, "Thank you, girl, for saving my life."
Wei Dongling didn't answer. After the crowd's attention had shifted, she dragged the man and swam a long way. Then they climbed onto the shore on a quiet meadow.
Wei Dongling dragged the injured man onto the shore and bent down to check his injury. The wound wasn't deep, but blood was constantly oozing out.
Wei Dongling frowned and said, "We have to stop the bleeding quickly!"
The man smiled nonchalantly and said, "So the girl isn't mute. I thought you couldn't speak!"
Wei Dongling didn't answer. By the bright moonlight, she searched the meadow for herbs to stop the bleeding.
The man wrung out his wet clothes and glanced at the purple figure not far away. The girl with a lame leg was still busy. He called out, "Girl, stop being so busy! I'm fine. I'll go see a doctor later."
Wei Dongling grabbed a handful of plantain herbs, washed them clean with lake water, took out the wet handkerchief from her lapel, wrapped the herbs in it, and pounded out the juice with a stone. Then she gently applied it to the man's wound. She then tore the bottom of the man's robe and ripped out a long piece of brocade cloth. She carefully wrapped it around the wound to fix it.
The man looked at Wei Dongling's slender and fair hands and asked in a low voice, "May I have the honor of knowing your name, girl?"
Wei Dongling glanced at the man. This man had a good - looking face and fair skin. It was obvious that he had been pampered since childhood. He must be either rich or noble. Wei Dongling frowned slightly and said, "It's just a small favor. There's no need to mention it. I'm often chased and killed too."
The man asked in surprise, "Why?"
Wei Dongling yanked the cloth strip in her hand hard and tied a knot. The man gasped in pain. Wei Dongling smiled bitterly and said, "I've offended some high - ranking officials."
The man twitched his face and asked, "I can see that you're kind - hearted. You mustn't be a bad person. Under the feet of the Son of Heaven in the capital, even the most powerful people shouldn't be lawless, right?"
Wei Dongling smiled faintly and said, "Did those who were chasing you just now have any respect for the law?"
The man looked a bit embarrassed and didn't say a word for a long time.
Wei Dongling ignored him. She wrung out her wet dress and hair, then sat down, took off her shoes and socks, and looked at her feet that were hurting even more. Her eyebrows frowned even tighter.
The man looked at the injury on Wei Dongling's foot and said in surprise, "You're actually injured. You're not a lame person after all?"
Wei Dongling laughed and said, "So you thought I was both mute and lame?"
The man felt a bit embarrassed. He watched as Wei Dongling put on her shoes and socks on her own, and then asked, "Girl, we've met by chance. You risked your life to save me today. Could you please let me know your name?"
Wei Dongling nodded and said, "My name is Wei Dongling. May I ask your surname, sir?"
The man smiled and said, "My surname is Rong. You said just now that some high - ranking official bullied you. You might as well tell me about it. There's a very powerful elder in my family who is an official in the court. I think he can teach that person a lesson for you and help you vent your anger."
Wei Dongling waved her hand and smiled, "I appreciate your kindness, Lord Rong. But an official in the court should be more cautious. It's better not to make enemies."
The man smiled and didn't say a word.
On the other side of Luoyue Lake, the sound of firecrackers came one after another. Then, one beautiful firework after another exploded in the night sky.
Wei Dongling turned around to look. The gorgeous fireworks in the night sky and their sparkling reflections on the lake were so beautiful that one couldn't take one's eyes off them.
Lord Rong looked up at the fireworks, then at Wei Dongling laughing by the lake. He nodded and said, "It should be the fireworks set off by the Cheng family in the Ministry of War for their wedding. I was originally going to go and have a cup of wedding wine."